Guitar & Bass Tabs
Slaughter
Learn Slaughter's Guitar & Bass Style
Discover how Slaughter developed their signature guitar and bass sound, the techniques you'll encounter in their music, and the best lessons to begin your learning journey.
Slaughter burst onto the early 90s hard rock scene from Las Vegas, formed in 1990 by Mark Slaughter (vocals) and Tim Kelly (guitar). They fused melodic hooks with heavy, riff-driven guitar textures, helping define a strand of melodic hard rock that bridged late-80s glam metal and the grunge era.
Their self-titled debut (1990) delivered blistering energy with Up All Night and Fly to the Angels, earning the band a signature anthemic sound. The follow-up The Wild Life (1992) kept their momentum as rock radio shifted, while tracks such as Eye To Eye and Burning Bridges showcased their knack for dramatic melodies and soaring guitar lines.
Today, eight lessons on DadRock Tabs focus on Slaughter's essential guitar arsenal—Desperately, Up All Night, Fly To The Angels, Burning Bridges, Eye To Eye, and more—guiding players through rhythm, tone, and lead-work in the Slaughter style. The band's legacy lives on in how they married hooky choruses with crunchy riffs, inspiring a generation of players to study classic rock craft on the guitar.
🎸 Want to know what gear Slaughter used, their playing style, and fun facts? Scroll below the lessons!
Watch the Lesson
Burning Bridges
Slaughter
Up All Night
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Eye To Eye
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Fly To The Angels
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Desperately
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Playing Style
Slaughter's playing style rests on a sturdy rhythm backbone and bright melodic leads. Tim Kelly's guitar work anchors the songs with punchy power-chord riffs, palm-muted grooves, and tight alternate picking, while Mark Slaughter's soaring vocal melodies ride over the top. Lead passages blend bluesy phrasing with tasteful bends and occasional harmonized lines, often exploiting pentatonic and mixolydian textures to propel choruses. The result is a tightly wound, anthem-ready guitar vocabulary that balances aggression with memorable melodic hooks.
🎸 Gear & Equipment
The Slaughter sound sits squarely in classic 1990s hard rock gear. Expect solid-body guitars—Les Paul-style and other humbucker-equipped axes—routed through loud, tube-driven amps to yield chunky riffs and singing leads. In the studio and on stage, chorus and delay effects helped create the wide, arena-sized texture that defines Fly To The Angels and similar tracks, with occasional flanger or phaser moves for color and dynamic contrast.
Why Learn Slaughter Songs?
Learning Slaughter songs builds core rock guitar skills in a practical, song-first way. You’ll develop solid power-chord rhythm, precise palm muting, reliable alternate picking, and dynamic control between verses and choruses. Lead work teaches expressive bends, vibrato, and melodic phrasing that sit beautifully over strong groove. These eight lessons offer beginner-to-intermediate challenges that forge a strong foundation for modern rhythm guitar and melodic rock solos alike.
Did You Know?
- 1The band name Slaughter comes from frontman Mark Slaughter's surname, giving the act a memorable, self-made identity.
- 2Fly To The Angels remains one of their best-known tracks and a staple in 90s melodic hard rock playlists.
- 3Slaughter formed in Las Vegas in 1990 and quickly became a touchstone for melodic hard rock during the glam-to-grunge shift.
- 4The band built a dedicated fanbase across the US and continues to influence guitar players studying classic-rock riffs and soaring vocal melodies.
5 Slaughter lesson(s) available — Start learning today!
Learn to Play Slaughter Guitar
Explore Slaughter guitar and bass lessons with a focus on riffs, rhythm parts, classic rock techniques, and practice-friendly video lessons.
Start Here
Begin with the most recognizable riffs and rhythm parts before moving into harder songs.
Techniques
Practice power chords, timing, picking control, bends, vibrato, and classic rock phrasing.
Next Step
Use the lessons below to build a practice path from easier songs to more advanced parts.
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